Electroplating apparatus.



,J. W. DOW.

ELEGTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16, 1912.

1,034,21 9. Patented July 30, 1912.

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WITNE88E8 INVENTOR I j I John Wfiow J. W. DOW. ELEGTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1912. 1 ,O34,21 9, Patented July 30, 1912.

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, I INVEINTOR Jo/zzz Wjow' ATTORNE Y8 J. W. DOW.

BLEGTROPLATING APPARATUS.

. APILIOATION FILED APR.16, 1912.

9 Patented July 30,1912.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR John Hffiow I By 2 ATTORNEYS if zen of the United States, and a resident of. 'Mansfield, in the county of Richland and JOHN WILLIAM DOW, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 30, 1912.

Application filed April 16, 1912. serial. No. 691,088.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. Dow, a citi- State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Electroplatin Apparatus, of which the following is a fu 1, clear. and exact description.

My invention relates generally to electroplating apparatus and more particularly it is directed to a new and improved construction adapted for use in depositing metals upon bodies, the construction being especially adapted for use in electroplating small bodies.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a new and improved electroplating apparatus which consists essentially of elements constructed and arranged to form an open pocket into which the articles to be plated are placed, the articles being tumbled about during the electroplating process and being open for inspection during the performance of such processes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description thereof proceeds, the new and useful features being particularly pointed out in the appended clam1s.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the apparatus on the line 11 of Fig. 2; Fig.2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of a modified construction; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of a further modification; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a still further modified form of the apparatus.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2,

any suitable tank 1 is provided-with a runway 2 adjacent the top of one side, the side itself being partially removed, as at 3; extending across the top of the tank is a shaft 4 having a pulley 5 at one end thereof,- the shaft being mounted in suitable bearings 6. Adjacent each end of the shaft is a circular member 7 such as a disk, there being a sprocket 8 adjacent the disks and on the outer sides thereof, the disks and sprockets being rotated by turning of the shaft.

Within the tank and adjacent the bottom thereof is a shaft 9 mounted in suitable bearing 10, there being circular members 11, such as disks or equivalent devices, adjacent the ends of the shaft, together with sprockets 12 adjacent the disks, the sprockets and disks turning with the shaft. Vi'ithin the tank and adjacent the top thereof is a third shaft 13 having circular members 14, such as disks, adjacent each end, there also being sprockets or gears 15 adjacent the disks, the sprockets and disks rotating with the shaft.

The disks 7, 11, and 14, are designed to revolubly support an endless belt or conveyer 16 made of any suitable and desirable material, such as canvas, or equivalent material, one side of the belt having a succession of slats or similar elements 17 secured thereto, the width of the belt and the length of the slats being substantially equal to the distance between the disks 7 and the disks 11, and the disks 14, whereby bearings are provided for the belt during its travel.

The tank 1 is designed to receive a suitable supply of electrolyte used in the plating process, the endless belt or conveyer 16,

between the shafts 4 and 13, forming a pocket into which the articles to be plated are placed; the current is supplied to the bath through the anodes 18 which are suspended in any suitable manner from a transversely extending conducting rod 19 carried in suitable supports 20 adjacent the sides of the tank,the rod being connected to a suitable generator by means of a conductor 21; the cathode 22, making cont-act with the articles, is suspended in any suitable manner from a transversely extending connecting rod 23, carried in suitable supports 24, the rod being connected to the other side of the generator.

The articles to be plated are tumbled about within the bath as the shafts mentioned are turned, the velocity of the belt or conveyer being such that these articles are kept within the electrolyte, and, by reason of the construction shown, which I term a pocket, the progress of the deposition of the metal is clearly seen. Since the pocket is open and in communication with a large and unobstructed volume of electrolyte, the required voltage is materially lessened over that required for electroplating similar objects when placed in barrels (1)1 equivalent devices contained within the an t.

Secured to the beltor conveyer 16 are any desirable number of pockets 25, arranged as shown, the pockets being pivotally mounted in suitable bearings on the conve er; inasmuch as the belt may be permit-te to travel with the pockets in the broken line position shown in Fig. 4, such position will not lift the articles plated out of the bath as the belt travels. Referring particularly to Fig, 1, it will be noted that the pockets 25, as they pass around the disks 7 where the open sides turn toward the bottom of the oath, are ad jacent the top of the runway 2 which acts as a receptacle to receive the articles as they are dropped from the pockets.

The electroplating apparatus which I have devised consists essentially of this structure, whereby a pocket is formed, it being clear that many modifications in the resulting structure may be made use of, some of which will now be set forth. In Figs. 1 and 2, the belt or conveyer 16, between the shafts 4 and 13, may be in engagement at its sides with suitable disks 26, the peripheralportions of which engage the belt or conveyer in contradistinction to thedisks 7, 11, and 14, which engage the slats or equivalent devices 17 carried by the conveyer; the use of these disks 2.6 provides for the positive formation of the pocket since the path of the conveyer is determined by the arrangement of the parts. The belt or conveyer may also be provided adjacent its side portions with the succession of links forming, in. effect, chains 27 which engage the sprockets 8,12, and 15, during the travel of the belt, such engagement insuring such travel and preventing slipping; each of the disks 26, by aid of which the pocket formation results, is also preferably provided with sprockets 28 which engage with the beforementioned chains on the conveyer. The receptacle is filled to the proper height with the electrolyte and the articles to be plated are placed on the belt or conveyer between the disks 26; power is then applied to the shaft 4, by means of the pulley 5, from any suitable source, after which the current strength may be brought to the proper amount and the electroplating process begun. During the process, the articles being plated are open for inspection, and the distances between theanodes and the articles being plated is substantially less than the distance between theseelements in previous devices. In order to provide for efiicient plating of the articles and to prevent interfering with the tumbling, each of the disks 26 is mounted on a stub axle 29 extending inwardly from the sides of the tank, each 'to-thosepreviously described and similarly mounted on the axles 29. The anodes 18 and the cathode 22 are similarly mounted, and the endless belt or conveyer-16 is also used, the material thereof being substantially the same as that previously described; it is to be noted that the slats 17 used in this modifiedform of construction may be rectangular, whereas in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 they were more or less trapezoidal in cross section, such construction being necessary in order to permit the conveyer to pass around the disks 7, 11, and 14. The disks 7, 11, 14, and shafts 4, 9, 13, are dispensed with and the conveyer asses around the disks 26 previously mentioned, together with the disks 31 mounted in suitable supports or pedestals 32, the shaft 33 on which the disks 31 are mounted being also provided" with sprockets 34, these separate elements being essentially similar in construction and purpose to what has been prevlously described. The belt or conveyerused in this form of apparatus is rovided with the movably mounted poc rets 25, whereby the articles plated may be removed from the bath; extending transversely of the tank 1 and positioned between the oppositely traveling portions of the conveyer 16 is an angularly extending runway 35 of such width that the plated articles carried in the pockets 25 are deposited in the runway as the conveyer travels, and when the pockets change their relative positions when turning around the top disks 31.

Referring particularly to Fig. 6, a modified construction is set forth which embodies the conveyer-16 and the slats or equivalent elements 17 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, together with the pockets 25 the disks 7 and 14 are made use of, the sprockets 8 and 15, however, which were mounted on the shafts 4 and 13 also carrying the disks 7 and 14 being omitted, the shafts being connected together by suitable driving means, such as a chain or belt 40, passing around other gears or sprockets 41, mounted on the shafts. The lower disks 11 and sprockets 12 are omitted, the conveyer assuming the position shown in Fig. 6, by reason of its weight and from the fact that it is hanging free in the tank; the disks 26, also shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are retained, the sprockets 28, however, being omitted, the mounting of the disks being on stub axles 29, as previously described, these axles, however, being suitably mounted in position in the following way.

7 Each side of the tank 1 is provided with a bearing 42, the stub axles being positioned within the bearings, the disks being thereby held in the proper positions when the device is in operation; the bearings may be secured in position in any suitable manner as by means of bolts or screws 43.

The method of driving, as well as the construction of the conveyer or belt, may be changed, and in Fig. 5 a modified construction is shown embodying the following de tails. Within the tank and secured to opposite sides thereof in the bearings Me are the stub axles 29 on which the grooved wheels or pulleys are mounted. The belt or conveyer 16 is used without the slats or equivalent devices 17, the edge portions of the belt being engaged with suitable cables, cords, or equivalent elements 46, which lie in the grooves in the pulleys 4L5, thegrooves and cables or cords providing not only a guiding means for maintaining the belt or conveyer in proper position within the bath but also serving as an efficient driving means.

It is clear that the belt, made and operated as shown in Fig. 5, may be availed of in the construction set forth in Fig. 4 or that shown in Fig. 6, the principal feature of the invention, which embodles what I have termed the pocket, being maintained in all these forms. The size of the tank and the different parts used in the electroplating process will, of course, depend upon the volume of work to be done, as well as the nature of the bath, changes in such respects, along with the size and shape of the difi'erent parts being largely matters of: skill-and design.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent-:

1. An electroplating apparatus comprising an endless conveyer, transversely extending slats thereon, supports for the conveyer, the supports engaging the slats and being rotatable, whereby the conveyer may be constantly moved, the intermediate portion of the conveyer extending downwardly between the supports, whereby a pocket is formed.

2. An electroplating apparatus comprisa tank adapted to contain a suitable electrolyte, a plurality of supports,an endless conveyer carried on the sup orts, the conveyer being made up of a suita le fabric and a plurality of slats secured thereto, a portion of the conveyer extending into the electrolyte, the said portion forming a pocket adapted to receive articles to be plated.

3. An electroplating apparatus comprisiing a'tank adapted to contain an electrolyte, a plurality of revoluble elements adjacent the tank, an endless conveyer carried on the said revoluble elements and turning therewith, the conveyer comprising a strip of material with a plurality of independent transversely extending slats thereon, the said slats stifiening the said material, the said revoluble elements being spaced apart and the said conveyer extending below the elements into the electrolyte, and means for turning the said elements, whereby the conveyer passes through the electrolyte.

4. An electroplating apparatus comprising a tank adapted to contain a suit-able electrolyte, a plurality, of revoluble supports, an endless conveyer carried by the said supports, adjustable pockets on the conveyer, the conveyer being of such length that the portion thereof between the supports extends below the supports and into the electrolyte, thereby forming a pocket for receiving the articles to e plated, together with a suitable runway adjacent the tank and adjacent the pockets when in a certain position, whereby the articles may be carried from the tank into the runway.

5. An electroplating apparatus comprising a tank adapted to receive a suitable electrolyte, a runway adjacent the tank, a plurality of rollers mounted in revoluble relation with respect to the tank, an endless conveyer extending around the rollers, the conveyer being made up of a suitable fabric having transversely extendin ried thereby, the conveyer eing of such length that a portion thereof between the said rollers extends below the rollers and into the electrolyte, thereby formin a pocket elements carfor receiving the articles to' be p ated, to-

gether with means whereby the conveyer may be moved, thereby providing for tumbling the articles during the plating process.

6. The combination of a tank adapted to contain an.electrolyte with an endless conveyer, the conveyer bein made up of a strip of material and a num er of transversely extending slats secured thereto, with means for supporting and moving the conveyer through the electrolyte, the intermediate portions of the conveyer being beneath the surface of the electrolyte and forming a pocket.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. 

